A Washington State Anti-Gay Anti-Government Christian Leads Effort To Repeal Not Yet Signed Into Law Same Sex Marriage Bill, Human Rights Campaign Persuades Goldman Sachs Chief Lloyd Blankfein To Be First National Corporate Spokesperson For Marriage Equality, GLAAD Calls On CNN To Fire Roland Martin After He Posts Tweet Appearing To Urge Violence Against Men Who Liked David Beckham H&M Underwear Super Bowl Ad, M.I.A. (And Her Middle Finger) Steal Super Bowl Half-Time Show And Forces NBC To Issue Apology, Matt Bomer Takes One Of His Sons (But Not His Husband) To Super Bowl Festivities

As legislation legalizing same sex marriage sprints its way through the Legislature, Washingtonians opposed to the measure are already gearing up for a long fight to the ballot box to overturn it. Fervour against the legislation is particularly strong in areas east of the Cascades, such as the Yakima Valley, where tea party activists and conservative religious groups are discussing how they'll attack the measure. According to The Yakima Herald, opponents could soon be gathering signatures for a voter initiative -- or potentially a referendum on the law itself -- that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. Initiative 1192, filed January 9 with the Secretary of State's Office by Republican Attorney General candidate Stephen Pidgeon, would do just that. Skip Schoff, vice president of Christian Broadcasting of Yakima, said petitions for Initiative 1192 could be ready for distribution by Friday. "We plan to distribute those everywhere," said Schoff, who helped lead efforts locally to overturn the domestic partnership law by referendum in 2009. "We want this to be a vote of the people." About two-thirds of Yakima County voters were against domestic partnerships, also known as the "everything but marriage" law, when Referendum 71 was brought before them almost three years ago. Schoff said he thinks even more local voters will oppose a law legalizing same sex marriage. "I would think we could get tens of thousands of signatures in this area," Schoff said. But Referendum 71, which supported same-sex partnerships partnership, was approved state-wide. Although same sex marriage supporters find themselves a minority in Yakima County, a study by the Washington Poll found that 55-percent of voters state-wide would approve legalizing gay marriage. Local gay marriage proponents say they may be small in number but will be loud and organized to campaign against any measure to overturn the law. "You will definitely see some of us in the streets," said the Rev. Bill Poores, pastor of Yakima's Rainbow Cathedral Metropolitan Community Church. "It's about equal civil rights for everyone." Bob West, the leader of the local tea party group Grassroots of Yakima Valley, and Central Washington Tea Party organizer Kirk Groenig also said they would get opponents organized and signed onto a petition against gay marriage. "We have a few people (in the Legislature) making decisions for the rest of Washington," Groenig said. "That's not right." Poores said he doesn't think gay marriage should be voted on, citing hate and misunderstanding against gays. He compared it to civil rights measures that weren't put to a vote because they were designed to protect minorities from the majority. "If the Voting Rights Act was voted on by popular vote in the '60s, it would never have stood," Poores said. "African-Americans would not have been given the rights they have today because it would have been voted down." If approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor, as expected, the law would take effect 90 days after the end of the regular legislative session. Opponents would have until June 6 to collect 120,577 signatures to put a referendum on the ballot. For a voter initiative defining marriage as between a man and a woman, organizers would need 241,153 signatures to earn a spot on the November ballot.

Lloyd C. Blankfein, the chief of Goldman Sachs who has become a lightning rod for Wall Street critics, might seem an unlikely advocate for same-sex marriage. But his credentials — a public figure in a conservative industry — could make him a powerful voice for that cause. The Human Rights Campaign, a national organization that promotes equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, has persuaded Mr. Blankfein to be its first national corporate spokesman for same-sex marriage, an issue that will come up for a legislative vote in several states this year, including Washington and Maryland. Fred Sainz, an executive with the Human Rights Campaign, said the organization sought Mr. Blankfein, in part, because he is “an unexpected messenger,” adding, “Lloyd Blankfein is not someone average Americans would think is going to support marriage equality. The green visor crowd is not typically associated with socially progressive policies, and this is further proof that a diversity of Americans are coming to the same conclusion.” The New York Times reports that with this national campaign, Mr. Blankfein is stepping onto a prominent and politically charged stage — at a time when his public persona is suffering. In recent years, he has been pilloried for outsize pay packages and rewarding the type of risk-taking that led to the financial crisis. As the tumult fades, industry watchers are wondering about his second act. Mr. Blankfein, who has run Goldman since 2006, is one of the longest-tenured chief executives on Wall Street, and speculation is mounting that he will hand over the reins to a deputy this year. Although he has long supported same sex marriage, his move could be seen as a public relations play, albeit one with unclear results. The affiliation with a liberal organization could also alienate conservatives who do business with the firm. Through a spokesman, Blankfein declined to comment. Paul A. Argenti, a professor of corporate communication at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, says Blankfein’s decision isn’t likely to have any positive impact on the reputation of the firm — or Blankfein. “If you are a Goldman employee and you are gay or contemplating coming out, this is great,” he said. But for Goldman and Mr. Blankfein, the issue of same-sex marriage has nothing to do with what Goldman Sachs does. “If Mr. Blankfein was taking a radical stand on pay you could say wow, that’s big. But equality is simply not an issue you associate with Goldman.” Still, the campaign is sure to turn heads on Wall Street, which despite having made progress on equality issues over the last decade, is still considered to be a male-dominated, testosterone-driven place. Behind the scenes, Blankfein has long been a supporter of same sex marriage. Last year, he signed a letter urging state lawmakers to vote for a bill legalizing same sex marriage and encouraged other chief executives to do the same. He also called lawmakers directly on the matter. The New York Legislature passed the law last summer. Under Blankfein’s guidance, Goldman has also pushed employment policies that promote equality. It reimburses employees for the extra taxes they pay on domestic partner benefits. In 2002, the company made headlines for offering gender reassignment operations to employees. At a dinner on Saturday in New York the Human Rights Campaign awarded Goldman its corporate equality award. Now, Blankfein is taking his support one step further by speaking out on the issue. “Most of the firms on the Fortune 500 list have all the right policies but when you ask them to take a public stance 99 percent are not willing to do it,” said Todd G. Sears, a former Merrill Lynch stockbroker turned diversity advisor, who runs an industry group called Out on the Street. The Human Rights Campaign approached Blankfein in November through a gay executive at Goldman, and he was immediately receptive to the idea, according to people briefed on the matter but not authorized to speak publicly. As part of a national effort, Blankfein, wearing a crisp white shirt and red-patterned tie, appears in 32-second Web spot intended to drum up support and donations. “I’m Lloyd Blankfein, chairman and C.E.O. of Goldman Sachs, and I support marriage equality,” Blankfein says in the spot, which was recorded at the bank’s headquarters in downtown Manhattan. “America’s corporations learned long ago that equality is just good business and is the right thing to do.” For years, the organization has attracted a notable list of representatives, including Barbara Bush, the daughter of the former President George W. Bush, and the hockey player Sean Avery. Steve Tisch, a businessman and co-owner of the New York Giants, took part in a campaign to legalize gay marriage in New York last year. But Blankfein’s participation is part of a new national effort by the Human Rights Campaign to enlist atypical advocates. One set of videos highlighted prominent black Americans, a demographic with especially low support for same-sex marriage. Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark and the comedian and actress Mo’Nique were among the African-Americans who participated. Blankfein is the first corporate chieftain to represent the organization.

Roland Martin, a commentator for CNN, sent out a controversial tweet during the Super Bowl that resulted in GLAAD demanding his removal from the news network. After an H&M commercial featuring a scantily clad David Beckham aired, Martin wrote on Twitter, "If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!" In response, GLAAD wrote: "@rolandsmartin Advocates of gay bashing have no place at @CNN #SuperBowl #LGBT" Martin replied: "@glaad @CNN well you're clearly out of touch and clueless with what I tweeted. Way to assume, but you're way off base." According to The Hollywood Reporter, Martin responded to several tweets that accused him of homophobia, claiming that his comment was meant to be a slight toward soccer fans, and not against gay men. He insisted that he has often criticized soccer fans in America. In response, GLAAD issued a statement demanding that Martin be fired from CNN. “Martin has a history of anti-LGBT views. GLAAD is calling on him to be fired, joining many other LGBT activists and bloggers,” reads part of the statement. The statement also pointed out that Martin had made fun of a man for wearing pink earlier in the day. "Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass," he had written. GLAAD's statement also points out that Martin had allegedly expressed other anti-gay remarks. The organization adds that after Tracy Morgan was criticized for saying "he’d stab his son to death if he said he was gay.” Even though Morgan apologized for his words, Martin wrote on his blog about the incident, seeming to defend Morgan's stand-up commentary. "Say I’m wrong. Fine. Say I’m insensitive to gays and lesbians. Fine. I’ll wait for the usual bigots to say that I’m defending Tracy Morgan because he’s black. Fine," he wrote. "Sorry, if I'm being honest here and not focusing on political correctness," he continued. "I just believe that many of you would be shocked and amazed that you laughed hysterically at some of the most sexist, homophobic, racist stuff imaginable by comedians of all shapes, sizes, ethnic backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations." GLAAD also points out that Martin openly supports "conversion therapy" for gay people. On his website in 2006, he wrote, "My wife, an ordained Baptist minister for 20 years, has counselled many men and women to walk away from the gay lifestyle, and to live a chaste life." Martin has appeared on a variety of news shows as a commentator, including Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull, The Situation Room, Anderson Cooper's AC360 and Lou Dobbs Tonight. He is also an author, most recently penning The First: President Barack Obama's Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin.

The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots Sunday, 21-17, to win said Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, Indiana. Madonna was the much-hyped half-time act, although according to The Associated Press, M.I.A.’s middle-finger stole the show, an incident that NBC has since apologized for.

Matt Bomer attended the Super Bowl festivities accompanied by his adorable son Kit, but sans his husband Simon Hall, who is also raising Kit as well as brothers Henry and Walker.